Vehicles

Volkswagen Amarok

After finally getting behind the wheel of a pick-up on his last outing for Test Drive, Gary Squires finds the lure of the Volkswagen Amarok too strong to resist this time out.

First impressions

Having broken my duck on pickups last time out, I was pretty excited to get the chance to get behind the wheel of another one so soon. Volkswagen’s Amarok Trendline seemed a suitable candidate. I quickly checked out the name and discovered that an ‘Amarok’ is a gigantic wolf in Inuit mythology. After that, I was really hoping it could live up to its name.

When it arrived, my only disappointment was that I was only getting it for a week. Just looking at the Amarok immediately filled me confidence – it looks so solidly built that you just know it will easily handle anything a full day onsite can throw at it. Taking a quick peak inside showed the styling, comfort and functionality that I’d expect from Volkswagen, which is another big plus when you you’re your schedule is packed all week and you’ll be spending plenty of time on the road.

On the road

Simply put, the Amarok drives just like a car. It handles really well and corners far better than you would initially expect from what is essentially a work vehicle. It’s very nimble and has a lovely smooth 6-speed gearbox, which can be used to select 4-wheel drive when required.
The brakes were also very good – they stopped it without hesitation and yet were light under foot to give a feeling of total control. It also has a ‘Hill Hold Assist’ feature, which holds the brakes on momentarily on a hill to allow you to take your foot off the brakes and swap to the accelerator without it rolling back.

Due to the size of the Amarok, it does needs a fair sized parking space but is surprisingly easy to manoeuvre in tight spaces. It has a relatively good steering lock; although I would definitely get the rear parking sensors as an add-on if you order one. It does seem a long way back there when you look through the mirrors, and it’s not that easy to judge.

The fuel economy is another big plus for this truck. I tested the diesel version, and the combined fuel economy is listed as 35.8mpg and that’s about what I was getting. In fact, driving at a steady 60mph on the motorway I was getting nearly 40mpg. This is very impressive especially when compared to the competition.

Inside story

I found the driving experience very comfortable. I did quite a few miles in this pick-up and spent over four hours in it on one trip. There was no sign of the usual back ache that I regularly suffer from, which was a relief and got the thumbs up from me.

The seats themselves were firm, very supportive, and easily adjustable for height and reach. Admittedly, there was no lumber support , but I personally didn’t find this a problem.
The interior is very well designed and functional – as I would expect from a Volkswagen – with the build quality equal to that of any car. All the controls were easy to use and well placed. It’s obvious to see that plenty of thought has gone into trying to make this a market leader.

The radio itself was easy to use, had a good clear reception and a volume control that appeared to have no limits. The electric window, mirrors and split air con all added to the comfortable experience.

On the storage front, the Amarok doesn’t seem to make the most practical choice for an installer – especially not one who’s used to having a big van stashed full of every possible tool and component. I think you’d need to buy a hard top and a Rhino pipe tube to give you the extra space. Frankly, not even the prospect of emptying out tools every night and loading different materials every day depending on the jobs that I have on wouldn’t put me off getting one of these!

Overall impressions

In my opinion, this really is a great pick-up and could easily become a class leader. I think if anyone is considering buying a 4×4 pick-up then look no further. Test driving it is the only real way forward for any potential buyers. It looks chunky and solid – which is want you want for a workhorse – and it’s surprisingly nimble considering it’s only got a 2 litre engine.

It looks good, is very comfortable and drives just like a car. Normally these pick-ups bounce about on the road a bit when empty, but this one felt like any normal car when driving. It handled well, is finished off nicely inside and has got all the basic creature comforts expected by today’s car drivers – let alone us mere van drivers.

It comes with up to two years or 25k miles service intervals (can vary from a minimum of one year or 9000 miles depending what oil is selected at the pre-delivery inspection), and the driver is advised when it’s due by a service reminder that comes up on the dash. It also comes with a 3 year / 100,000 mile warranty plus a 12 year body protection warranty.

I’m finding it hard to criticise, but if I had to be picky then it didn’t have steering wheel controls for the radio or a built-in phone pack. The phone pack is only available as an option with the Sat Nav, but after market kits can be purchased if required.

My advice? Take one for a test drive. I’m confident that you won’t be disappointed.

Gary rated the Volkswagen Amarok Trendline on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being Poor and 5 being Excellent.Comfort 4.5Control 4.5 Storage space 3.5Overall performance 4.5